This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a rotor blade for a gas turbine engine that provides improved aerodynamic performance.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. In general, during operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases flow through the turbine section, which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to power the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads.
Some gas turbine engines sections may utilize multiple stages to obtain the pressure levels necessary to achieve desired thermodynamic cycle goals. For example, the compressor and turbine sections of a gas turbine engine typically include alternating rows of moving airfoils (i.e., rotor blades) and stationary airfoils (i.e., stator vanes). Each stage consists of a row of rotor blades and a row of stator vanes.
One design feature of a rotor blade that can affect gas turbine engine performance is the airflow gap that extends between the tips of each rotor blade and a surrounding shroud assembly or engine casing. Airflow that escapes through these gaps can result in gas turbine engine performance losses.